The New Old Times
by Green1
Summary: Yuuri x Wolfram Wolfram returns to Shin Makoku pregnate after the death of his husband and ten years after he left the capital.
1. Prolouge

The New Old Times

author: FurryGreen

rating: Teen Adult-ish (if I decide to write the sex scenes.)

disclaimer: I don't own Kyou Kara Maoh. There's that. I always give a blanket warning that most, if not all, of my characters are OOC. Don't say I didn't warn you. And, yes yes, I know my writing has all the gusto of a fifth grader. The title came from the song, with the same name, by The Yoko Casionos.

Prolouge

"Either way," said Rex, taking advantage of the slight pause in Wolfram's steps to get in front of him, "Either way you won't come out of this one with egg on your face. It's going to be a scandal."

The watery look in Wolfram's eyes hadn't left, not since the teary confession from Wolfram earlier this morning. He knew he'd won this one before Wolfram had even opened his mouth this morning. He'd woken up lucky. Some part urged him to press it and it was hard to repress it. He wanted some kind of vocal confirmation.

Wolfram straightened and shifted his eyes downward, away. Rexmuld, personal guard of the so-called bride of the Maoh, stepped out of the way and positioned himself slightly to the side of his charge. It was the King, of course. Wolfram always tensed around him.

"Oh, good afternoon," said the King, pausing in whatever story he was telling Conrad. The Prince's older brother nodded his own greeting.

"Good afternoon, Yuuri," said Wolfram, in a low yet even voice. The King nodded, apparently satisfied that everything was fine, and went on with his own guard.

Rex caught those beautiful eyes with his own and marveled, as he always did, at the depth and brilliance within. 'I'm sorry for doing this to you,' he said silently. 'I will love you forever. I promise. I will make you happy. I love you. I love you.'

He loved the King the same as every other knight and soldier of the kingdom. The King had been the best ruler, the most generous, self-sacrificing, and natural ruler they'd had in many a hundred years. Quite simply, the King loved everyone. That, in itself, was enough to guarder his loyalty forever.

Yet, he loved Wolfram. It was a love that had crept through him like his blood and was strong enough to make him completely confident that he could satisfy the fiery blonde. And he did. Those two, the King and his Wolfram, just didn't belong together. They cancelled each other out. Fire and water made stem, which always sounded romantic, but in the end both would be dead. Their love, if those two had any warm feelings for each other, was stuff made for romantic tragedy. Nothing more.

Most will think of him as a traitor. He was sure of it. He was sure, as well, that the King and most of the court would thank him for this service. It served everyone involved and provided ripe, juicy gossip. What more could people want?

"Okay," the soft, sad quality of his voice jarred Rexmuld from his thoughts. "This is for the best. Yuuri would only come to hate me if he doesn't already, I'm sure, and my baby..."

Rex nodded, loving him even more. Wolfram was pregnant with his child. The wonder and awe seemed to fill his entire being. He had no need to wonder if Wolfram really loved him. A male Mazoku getting pregnant was the ultimate sign of love and trust.

"Hey," he said, gently guiding his head up to look deeper into those eyes, "I love you. I will always love you." He pushed Wolfram into the slight recess of a wall and kissed him. Wolfram accepted this affection, turning his head to met his and return it. Pulling back, Rex drew a hand down the side of the face. "We'll be okay," he promised. "Better then okay. We'll be together."

Wolfram nodded, took a long breath, and smiled. "Yes, I know. I... love you."

--

The day started out warm but didn't seem to gather much gusto as it went on. Wolfram slept in, relishing the last tastes of this finery. Breakfast had long since been served and he figured even longer since Yuuri woke. He couldn't remember the last time they woke up together and he realized, quiet randomly, that he hadn't even made an attempt to wake up and spy on his husband as he dressed in the morning.

That sense of familiarity had taken a long time to get installed in Yuuri and he'd been so please, so hopeful, the first day the dark haired King had done so without thought. Of course, he'd realized his mistake when he spied Wolfram watching him and didn't do so for three weeks afterward. Wolfram had to feign sleep just to peek.

He wondered when he'd stopped caring.

Sighing, he stretched a loud yawn, slid off the bed, and crept over to his wardrobe. Blue uniform, blue uniform, blue... His fingers stilled on the familiar, rough material. It was a long practiced habit to open this one. 'Why do I even keep these?' he wondered. Queens didn't have specialized armed fighters, after all. It would be unseemly.

He closed the drawer and opened the correct one. Light brown slacks and an off white tunic were the call of the day, for the off chance that Yuuri would...

He slammed the drawer shut and set about dressing.

--

Gisela sighed, coming to the end of her long speech. The room was pitch quiet. On one side sat himself and his knight, Rex, and on the other, his family and Yuuri. "Men cannot miscarry," she said, in a tight voice. She hadn't even looked at them. "There's no way avoiding this pregnancy."

The silence was chocking and Wolfram desperately wanted to jump up and point at his husband. 'This is all his fault!' he'd say. 'He drove me to this because he doesn't love me!' After that, Yuuri would realize his great mistake and swear unending devotion to him and this baby.

Rex's hand found his under the table and squeezed. He squeezed back. "I think it would be best if we get an annulment," Wolfram said, amazed at the levelness of his voice. "We've never had..."

Yuuri turned wide eyes to him and studied his face with some mysterious emotion. After a century, he turned to Gisela and asked: "I thought the wedding bands prevented people from getting... Well..."

"You're marriage is only paper, Heika," she said. "In order for that to have happened, you would've had to accept him fully. I mean, do the full, proper marriage and made him your official Queen Consort."

He nodded slowly. "Okay, fine. But why do we have to divorce?"

Wolfram let out a strangled chuckle. "Why do we have to divorce? I'll --"

Rex strained him with a hand and whispered, "don't get angry! It's not good for the baby."

He stared into those deep brown eyes for several long breaths before he gave up his anger and nodded. "Sorry," he said with a slight smile.

"Even so," said the King, his voice strangled. "I'll accept the baby."

Rex shot up. "It's my baby! He doesn't love you, he loves me! Don't you even know that that's the most basic component of male pregnancy? In order for him to get pregnant, he has to love me wholly." He took a breath and Wolfram took the pause to grab his arm and look imploringly at him. He sat down in a loud, put-on sigh. "I would've thought you'd be happy. You only have, what? Eight months before the initial marriage contract would've been up anyway?"

Wolfram felt a headache coming. "Besides," he interjected, "it still wouldn't be possible. Pregnant males need..." he paused, not able to say such a crude thing in front of his family.

"Sex," Rexmuld supplied, ignoring the look of horror on Wolfram's face. "He would have to be with me. Full time, none of this sneaky around."

"Gisela?"

"That's correct, Heika."

Wolfram thanked all the Gods that she hadn't thought to explain that in further depth. Yuuri turned brooding, dark eyes to him. He shivered under the intensity.

"Don't you remember what we talked about this morning when I got up?"

Wolfram blinked. "No. I don't. Was I awake?" He hadn't meant to voice the last part.

Yuuri growled and stood. "Fine, fine. I've signed those papers years ago. Have your fucking divorce."

And then he was gone, storming out of the office, and it would be ten years before Wolfram saw him again.

TBC

I apologize for it's short length. Usually I like to make my story chapters around 15k in a text file but this was the end of it now until the next. Thanks.


	2. Chapter 1

The New Old Times

author: FurryGreen

rating: Teen Adult-ish (if I decide to write the sex scenes.)

disclaimer: I don't own Kyou Kara Maoh. There's that. I always give a blanket warning that most, if not all, of my characters are OOC. Don't say I didn't warn you. And, yes yes, I know my writing has all the gusto of a fifth grader. I apologize for this story being murky. What can I say? I'm just a hack. '' The title came from the song, with the same name, by The Yoko Casionos.

"Can't you remember the way that it was with the new old times? Don't you recall, at the end of it all, how it all comes back in again?" - New Old Times by The Yoko Casionos

Chapter One

Yuuri drummed his fingers on desk in front of him. The paper was weathered and transparent from the rough, sloppy handling in writing it and the perspiration and sweat of the carrier. A servant said the carrier looked close to death and he supposed it might be true if he consider how fast it got to the capital.

He'd been locked in his office for the last day and a half. His mind was bent over the simple plea the letter contained. Somehow, however, it brought his mind to an abrupt halt and he couldn't get it started again. His initial thought had been to brush it off but the more he thought about it, the more worried he felt. For more reasons then the one he currently focused:

If Wolfram's brothers ever caught even a sniff in the air, there would be war. He knew they wouldn't involve him and that it would be discreet. But it the end, he'd have to step in and that always meant bloodshed.

A knock at the door drew his head up. It was followed only a moment later by the door opening. "Heika," said his long time friend, and Wolfram's middle brother, Conrad. "I..." His cheeks were a murky red color, though the rest of him seemed in perfect order. "Wolfram has come to... visit."

Yuuri let his head fall to the letter he now held in his hands. He nodded and carefully folded it, setting it inside his desk drawer designated for items under consideration. "Okay. Have the housekeepers prepare a room," he paused, weighing his words. He snorted slowly and a smile bloomed on his face, "that is, assuming you having already washed, feed, and set him up in a room already."

Conrad coughed but said nothing.

"Where did you put him?"

"In the Eastern wing, in one of the suites. He wanted it."

Yuuri nodded, chewing on his low lip thoughtfully. "Isn't that far away?" He paused only a moment, not giving Conrad time to answer. "He requested it, didn't he?"

Again, Conrad looked a bit red. "But I didn't know he was coming so..."

Yuuri laughed good naturedly. "Sure, sure, subordinance in the ranks. I'll forgive you this time." There seemed nothing else to be said. "I'm going to go find him," he said, feeling like an idiot but not sparing a moment longer to leave.

The way to the east wing was a bit of a lengthy journey. Techniquely, the eastern wing was part of the original castle Shino had built, with each new Maoh enlarging it during his rule. The section was kept up to code as far as cleaning and repairs, but not many guests liked to take courters there because it was the farthest away from the main building. It was mainly used for over flow. Until about fifteen years ago, all the spare soldiers had been housed here.

He found the hall with practiced easy. The hall was dark, as none of the maids had lit any of the wall candles and no previous Maoh had thought to put up torch spells. That really dated it. The decorations were virtually non-existent, save for an elaborate carpet that was laid down in the middle of the floor.

He tripped on a bump in the carpet and cursed his lack of talent in the area of fire spells.

A soft glow under one of the door announced which room they had taken. His hand grabbed the handle and he forced himself to stop with a slight laugh. 'Was I raised in a barn?' he thought shakily. He knocked and stepped back.

A rustle of foot steps could be heard from within and little whispers murmured just below his range of hearing. The door cracked open and he was greeted by two sets of brown eyes.

"Ah," he started, "I'm sorry. I was just checking on you." He trailed off, feeling some kind of searing pain in his chest. Two sets of brown eyes, obviously from children, would mean... "I'm Yuuri," he said after a moment. "A friend of your... mother."

The door shut again, more whispers, before it opened wider. One of the children stuck her head out and scrutinized him. Her lips puckered as she did so, brown brows knitted together, and long, curly hair fell around her face. It seemed to make it hard for her to study him and when she tried to push it out of her eyes, the other child pushed her. The child fell in a soft thump and started to cry.

The other stepped out from the room and, when Yuuri tried to go to her, stopped him. "She's just a cry baby," she pouted.

"Am not!" she sniffled, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. "I never cry."

Yuuri stifled a laugh and helped her to her feet. "I'm sorry," he said, unsure and almost scared being around these children. Didn't two mean...

"I'm Becca," said the second child, the one who'd pushed over the first. She had brown hair as well, though it was cut to her shoulders, and seemed to be the same height as her sister. "I'm seven and taller then Sarah!" She let out a gale of laughter.

Sarah made a show of brushing herself off and fixing her hair. "So what? I'm still older and no one would want to marry such an ogre!"

"Ogre?!" she stretched. "And who wants to marry? Boys are icky!

Yuuri stepped in between the two children. "It's really nice to meet you Becca... and Sarah. Where is your mother?"

The girls seemed to stiffen. Sarah reacted first. She pushed Becca back into the room and peaked out at him. "Mama's sleeping. We aren't supposed to talk with strangers." A sincere look of apology was written over her face and Yuuri found it impossible to feel annoyed.

"Have you two eaten then?"

She nodded then paused to push Becca away from her.

"Okay," he sighed. "If I leave, will you two go to bed? I'll come back tomorrow to check up on you."

Another nod and, in a brown swirl of hair and hisses, she disappeared and shut the door.

--

Yuuri didn't sleep well that night and was up just before dawn. He yawned unceremoniously and stretched. It was warm, even at this early hour, and it felt nice for once. He flopped back on his bed and wondered what he should do today.

Of course, there were treaties and various other papers of import to be signed. He had to get in his exercise and sword practice with Conrad. Various meetings with various important people and various unimportant people. He'd probably have to fit in eating somewhere, get a chat in with Gisela, and bath.

Had he taken a bath yesterday? He sniffed himself and found it doubtful.

But on the other hand, Wolfram was in the castle. After how many letters pleading they bring the child over, and any additional children, to visit, he was actually here. He'd have to send letters to Gretta, Gwendel, and Sherri-sama as well, now that he thought of it. He'd be flayed alive if he didn't. Maybe he should volun-tell Conrad to do that for him.

He sat up and slid out of bed. Exercise first. He'd run his laps. Conrad was usually up around now anyway (when did that man sleep?), so afterward he was sure he could get an early lesson in. Then he'd bath, because he'd really really needed it.

Work next and after that it, if he tried hard enough, it should be just before noon. After that, he could see how Wolfram was doing. Help him to find or see Gisela or something like that. Anything, really, that involved staying around and not leaving him.

He sighed on the edge of the bed and let his mind wander down that path. He blushed and forced his thoughts away. It didn't help his situation and longing to think of all the ways Wolfram needed to be 'saved'.

Exercise went as exercise always did. He always hated it in the beginning. He hated those few precious moments before the start the most and for most of the five or ten minutes afterward. It was always the thing that chased the last bit of sleep from his body and he never appreciated that.

Afterward, he couldn't help but grin from how good he felt. Conrad joined him somewhere half-way through his jogging, keeping any comments about how early it was to himself.

When the finished, Yuuri followed Conrad to the sparring yard. He allowed Conrad to get the safety gear -- something even after all this time Conrad insisted on 'just-in-case' -- and supplies. He let his gaze wander over to the eastern wing.

Conrad wrapped his knuckles on his head good-naturedly. "Are you awake, Heika?" he asked with his usual smile. He set down a whole array of beginner sword play protection material. Helmets, gloves, a light chain male shirt...

"No, not really," he said without thinking. When he looked at his friend, he saw the indecision in his eyes at the unfamiliar response. He took a sword, grimaced at the weight, and said: "Come on, Conrad. I'm over all that kiddies stuff," he scoffed at the gear with a light smile. "Besides, I think I just might beat you today."

And he did, for the most part. Conrad was really playing down for him and letting him win. Usually it would've annoyed him, but not today for some reason. Even when the thought occurred, after the second time he beat Conrad, that he'd never beaten his personal guard, it hadn't bothered him.

Conrad gave up the ghost with a shrug and smile. "I'm sorry," Yuuri apologized, trying to look sorry. He didn't feel too sorry.

"It's okay, Heika. We all have our off days and considering..." he trailed off, his smile widening.

Yuuri cocked a brow at him and then looked over his shoulder at the east wing. He blinked, temporarily forgetting Conrad. Had he just seen to small head duck out of his line of vision? He smiled at Conrad, muttered something nonsense, and brushed past him.

Halfway over to the eastern wing, he paused to turn around. "Conrad," he called. The Knight was picking up the mostly unused equipment. "Could you write to the family?" He waited to see some kind of approval before turning away again.

He found the girls in the outside hallway. Becca was standing precariously on a wobbly table and Sarah was arguing in hushed, angered tones. She tried to scramble up, but Becca pushed her off. "It won't hold the two of us!"

"It did earlier! I want to see the fighting too!" Her hiss came out more like a whining plea.

How is it, Yuuri wondered, that Becca is the younger of the two? It appeared as if they were wearing the same clothes as they had on yesterday and they certainly hadn't taken a shower anytime recently. Yuuri frowned at this and wondered where Wolfram was.

They didn't seem to notice his approach. "What are you two doing?" he asked from behind the two.

They both screeched in surprise and whirled around. "Ah," said Sarah. It was echoed by Becca.

Yuuri tried to look cross but couldn't keep the smile off his face. He held his arms out to Becca and helped her to the floor. "What were you two doing? You could've been killed if that thing broke."

"But we were bored," Becca said. Her stomach growled, as if on queue, and she blushed. "Hungry too."

Sarah nodded.

"Where is Wolfram?"

They shifted under his gaze. "Still asleep," Sarah murmured. "Mama's just tired."

Yuuri sighed. His head hurt. "Okay," he said and held out his hands. "I'll get you fed and have someone take you to the baths. Why don't you go get something clean to change into?"

Becca asked: "The baths? We just had a bath." with wide eyes and Sarah stated: "The rest of our clothes are dirty."

--

Wolfram could just make Rexmuld out in the distant. For some reason, the sight of him there, hand raised in greeting and voice calling to him, took his breath away. It felt like it had been forever since he'd seen that easy smile. It took several long minutes before he could force himself into action.

"Rex," he teared up for some unknown reason. He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and ran to catch up. He stumbled once in the loose beach sand, kicked off his sandals, and at his husband in a running hug, almost knocking him over. Arms tightly around him, he pressed his face into the curve of his neck. "Rex..."

"What is this?" Rexmuld tickled his ear. "I feel so loved."

Wolfram, blushing, let go of the tight hold. He instead wrapped his arms around one of Rex's, snaking one hand down to weave their fingers together. "Let's go home. I think I just had a scary dream."

More tickling and a laugh, and he let himself be pulled into a slow gait. "No more wine for you tonight then."

They walked in luxurious silence down the beach. The moon was full tonight and hung low in the sky. Something nagged at the edge of his mind but he couldn't quite recall it. He shook his head to make it leave him, but this made Rex stop.

"Something wrong?"

"No, nothing." He stared at the moon for several long moments. "I just feel like I've forgotten something. That's all."

"The kids are fine," he said, drawing him close. "You worry too much."

'Yes, that's probably it,' he thought and then Rex was kissing him and everything else fell away.

Wolfram woke then, blinking away tears. He'd been crying as he sleep. A shuddering sigh, rich with sleepy undertones, over took him and he stared up at the ceiling. A small smile jutted the corners of his mouth up slightly. Who'd've thought, after seven months of absinthe, he could get pregnant after just two times.

The night on the beach had been magical but the morning after had truly been wonderful. Rex had made breakfast and, because the children were sleeping over at a friends, they spent most of the morning making up for seven months of arguing.

He never felt so loved in his life.

A wave of fresh tears washed over him and he turned to his side, curling up into a ball, as they took him.

"Mama?"

He hadn't heard the rustle behind him or the door opening. He supposed they were up though. It had to be morning after all. The soft, scared tones were that of his oldest, Sarah, who tried the hardest at being a grown up. He wiped his tears with the back of his hand and sat up.

"What is it..." his voice trail off when he caught sight of the King. He was as handsome as he'd always remembered. He didn't look any older, though he wasn't wearing one of those uniforms Gunter had made for him. Instead, he was wearing unadorned black pants that made a straight line from his hips to his shoes, and some kind of dark tan loose pull-over shirt.

He closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, he forced them anywhere put on the King. That left the girls. "I thought I told you not to go outside or take to strangers," he snapped. The children pressed ever-so-close to the King, which made him feel ashamed. He shouldn't take his frustration out on them.

"They were hungry," said the King, taking a step further into the room. "You've been asleep for two days. I've been showing them around the castle. We went to the orchids today." He held up a bag. "We thought if all three of us shook you, you'd wake up for the apples."

How did Yuuri know, let alone remember, that apples were his favorite? It had been such a long time since he'd had apples. He'd craved them constantly in the last two pregnancies but hadn't actually had one since his wedding night.

With a sigh, he opened his arms. "Come here," he beaconed to the girls. They ran to him and all three hugged at once. "I'm sorry for sleeping so long and for yelling." He pressed a kiss to each of the girls head.

Yuuri walked in and Wolfram studied him under his lashed. He gave him no notice as he took a chair and sat close to the bed. Both girls chattered on about the events of the first two days and most notably about uncle Yuuri and uncle Conrad.

He listened to this only half-hearted. He smiled at their chatter, though he felt guilt that his eyes traveled to the seated King who remained silent as he peeled an apple. "Where did you get those dresses?" he asked, when a collective pause for air could be found.

"Uncle Yuuri," Sarah beamed. "He said they were... were..." her brows knitted together in thought.

"Gretta," Yuuri supplied. He handed Wolfram the apple, nonscilantly, and turned pick another apple up. "We saved all her clothes, remember?"

"Yes." Wolfram blushed at the causal reference to their old relationship and turned his head away to focus on eating the apple. It was wonderful but he just wasn't hungry and didn't think he could force himself to eat it. He took a two more bites before cradling it in his hands.

"Aren't they great?" Becca said, reaching out for a newly peeled apple. "I think they're my new favorite!"

"Is that right," he said with a smile. They fell into a comfortable silence.

"So, Wolfram, how are you?" asked the King. "I've missed you."

His voice was just was he'd remembered: strong and clear, it was still one of the most dearest sounds to him. He closed his eyes for a moment to enjoy it. "I'm fine," he said, smiling slightly. "It's been a long time, hasn't it? It's felt like forever."

"Yes," he agreed. "Yes it has."

"How have you been?" Wolfram smiled. Why couldn't it have been this relaxed before?

"It's been slow."

Wolfram nodded, absently picking up an apple core on of the children set on the bed. "I should get dressed."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Yuuri nod. "Gisela wants to see you first thing as well." He paused, thinking, "but why don't I get the cook to fix you something."

"No," he said, when Yuuri stood. "I'm not hungry. Still just a bit tired. Maybe later?"

He frowned at him and stood, examining him with worry creases in his forehead for so long that Wolfram laughed and said: "You're going to look like Gwendel if you keep that up."

His face broke into a small smile as he excused himself from the room so that Wolfram could change.

--

"This feels like a bad dream," Gisela said, sitting down in front of Wolfram and Yuuri. She sighed, a long suffering sigh, and shuffled her notes. She was stalling and she knew it, but she just couldn't keep her fingers from trembling. For the past ten years, she'd lived with the possibility that she'd been the one at fault for breaking up the royal couple. If Wolfram had died, as many male pregnancies tended to lead, it would've been her fault. No matter what Lord Adelbert said, she would know better.

She coughed, feeling embarrassed at her lapse into thought. He was incredibly thin for being almost two months along. They usually didn't show at this point, but there was usually /something/ to point to it. "Let's start with the basics then. How long do you sleep?" At the blank look, she said: "How many hours a night?"

"I..." Wolfram started, then fell off. "I suppose normal. Like, maybe, eight hours? Unless I've been working hard."

"And if you've been working hard?"

He shifted in his seat. "A day or so."

"Hmm..." She tapped the paper as she took notes much longer notes then necessary. This stalling move just gave her time to think of the next question. "Have you had any morning sickness?"

"No."

"Can you call up fire at all? Can you demonstrate, maybe?"

Wolfram looked away. His face flushed under her look "Men can't call up the powers when they're pregnant. You know that."

This was true, but they lost those powers around the sixth or seventh month. Gisela's lips thinned but she decided not to press that issue. "And your appetite? Is it normal for being pregnant?"

"Yes," Wolfram barked, now his face fully aflame. He stood, pointing a finger as he continued his tirade. "I know what you're trying to insinuate. I'm fine! I'm better then fine in fact! I'm just great!" He paused to take a couple breaths and sat down, the color drained from his face.

She studied him for a very long time. Wolfram wasn't going to admit this was a problem. That was typical, but in his condition, she didn't want to press the issue. "You both know how male pregnancies work, don't you?" she asked finally, setting the papers aside.

Yuuri nodded and Wolfram snickered. "Me? Never."

Gisela rolled her eyes and filed that away in the box she reserved for cranky pregnant people. "Then let me explain this: when you are with the father of the child, the fetus tends to draw power from him. This is the most natural and isn't taxing to the father. Your body has enough to do with keeping safe, healthy, and preparing your body so that you can carry it successfully." She paused, more for dramatic effect then anything. "You're in a pickle, Wolfram. You're a little less then two months, if I judge it right, and you need to find someone. The baby is sucking you dry. You have two weeks maybe..."

"What?" came a screech from both parties. Gisela sighed inwardly at that. It was annoying.

"And you're going to need someone with much more power then you have. The fact that you've made it two months, almost two months, is amazing. Most men would've died within their first month if they were in your shoes. The only one strong enough, that I can think of, is Heika."

Yuuri blinked at her and studied Wolfram. "Then it has to be me?" he asked, turning back to her.

"Don't be stu --"

"Yes," Gisela interrupted. She pushed her glasses up. "In addition, I think you should stick to Wolfram's side most of the day, say all but a couple hours. Sex is the best way to transfer but I'm afraid it probably won't be enough. Sleeping together, sharing the days activities - and I mean just being in the same room - will help as much or more then the sex." She sighed and rubbed her temples. This was a fight looking for a place to happen. "Look, I'm sorry for being so informal here but it really is life threatening. It has to be someone of much stronger person energize and magically, but not family."

Wolfram shot to his feet. "You've got to be kidding me. This isn't possible," he hissed. "If this is some way of laughing at me, it isn't funny."

"Why would it be a joke?" Yuuri asked, sitting back in his chair. "You think anyone here is happy about this? About you being in your condition?"

Gisela groaned inwardly. God, did he have a penchant for not saying things the right way or what?

Wolfram turned on him. "Oh yes, you poor, self-sacrificing hero. How do you live in such a cruel world when everyone needs to be rescued by you? I don't need to be rescued. I've survived this long, I can survive longer." His voice broke and he took a shuddering breath. "I loved Rex. I could never imagine..." He broke off to gasp and stop the sudden tears.

"So you'd rather have the baby die? You rather ruin your children's lives by taking both parents away?" Yuuri snarled. "You're still as selfish now as you were then. I thought having and caring for children would've made you grow up a little."

He shook his head, his face beet-red, and threw open the door, nearly colliding with Conrad and the children.

"Whoa, Wolfram," Conrad laughed, side-stepping and pulling the two children out of the way.

"Becca. Sarah. Come." He grabbed a hand from each and led them down the hall.

"But Mama, Uncle Yuuri..." Gisela heard as they disappeared. She shared a look of concern and frustration with the two men.

"Is there anything we can do? Anything we can..."

She arched a brow. "Force?" Yuuri shallower, looked away, but didn't seem at all guilty. It made her smile. "I think he's still in shock. It'll --"

"Hey! Hey!" Becca's frantic cry cut through their thoughts. She looked over her shoulder, to where they'd disappeared, and pointed frantically. Huge tears rolled down the sides of her face and she hiccupped her sobs. "Mama's... Mama's fell down! Help her!"

--

"I need to be even more discreet," said Conrad with a sigh. "I would go in your place if I could but that would be too suspicious. I'm not even sure if the information I got was valid. It just worries me."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Captain," said the orange haired spy. He chewed on the end of a long piece of grass as he studied Conrad. He had an altogether lost expression he hadn't seen in him for a very, very long time and it worried him.

"It's probably nothing. Wolfram would've come home if it had been so..."

"It is strange, though." Yozak threw the paper to flutter and fall on top of the desk. "If Wolfram didn't realize he was pregnant, how could they have? The way Gisela said, he must've gotten pregnant right before he left for Shin Makoku."

Yozak paused to study his captain. This self-delusion of Conrad's was annoying. It too was something he hadn't seen for a long time. The Captain's hunches always had some grain of gold in them. That was what made him so effective. It had been a talent he'd developed after leading all of them, the half-breeds, into battle.

"If there is, I'll find it," he promised. He eased out of the chair and stretched. "I'll leave immediately." Conrad nodded. "Make sure nothing happens around here while I'm gone. You'll be hard pressed to find such a good spy while I'm gone!"

He left the room and pushed the door shut behind him, waiting for a moment until he heard the low "thank you" through the door. He rapped the door with his knuckles and left.

TBC


	3. Chapter 2

The New Old Times

author: FurryGreen

rating: Teen Adult-ish (if I decide to write the sex scenes.)

disclaimer: I don't own Kyou Kara Maoh. There's that. I always give a blanket warning that most, if not all, of my characters are OOC. Don't say I didn't warn you. And, yes yes, I know my writing has all the gusto of a fifth grader. I apologize for this story being murky. What can I say? I'm just a hack. '' The title came from the song, with the same name, by The Yoko Casionos.

Chapter 2

Yuuri stared down at the sleeping form of Wolfram, who sighed, turned onto his side, and mumbled something under breath while wetting the couch with his drool. He looked so incredibly hapless there with his mouth open and snoring. It was utterly opposite to the immaculate image Yuuri was used to associating with him.

"He'll be fine," said Gisela, startling him when she placed a hand on his arm.

When he turned to her, she must've saw something in his face for she withdrew the arm. Yuuri felt a bit ashamed for whatever she read there. "I know." A sigh. "Will you have the children," he paused, his mind screamed at how familiar the term was. "Have the children set up in the spare room next to mine? That big bed should be enough to fit both of them. I can't imagine he'd want the children sleeping far away."

Silence for a moment. "So you're taking him up to your room?"

His ire rose with the slight disbelieve puff in her voice. Or maybe it was satisfaction? He didn't care. "You want me to leave him here? Or maybe the hallway?"

He reached down to gather him up in his arms, but Gisela stopped him. "Just give me a minute," she said before heading into the small room off the side of the clinic. She took only a minute before reappearing with several small containers and something that flashed in the light.

She set down the items. A plain box with a lid, a small cup, and a dagger. She took the lid off the box and set it upside down, picking out some gauze, cotton balls, and green liquid. "I need to collect some blood," she explained as she did this. "I need it in the potion to make him able to draw energy from you."

Yuuri raised his brows. "I have to drink this, I guess." He grimaced.

She nodded and grabbed one of Wolfram's arms. "It shouldn't wake him. He's so out of it as it is." She took only a moment to pause and study his face. She let Yuuri hold down the arm as she made a shallow cut a couple inches above the wrist and positioned the cup to collect the blood. As she did, she explained the reasoning.

"You have to trick his body into thinking you're him, in a way. At this point, he is so starved for energy, his conscious thoughts won't intrude and stop the process. You know what they say about your soul and life are in your blood." She must've seen the green tint to his face because she smiled. "When you digest his blood, a little bit of him becomes you and even if it's just the tiniest bit, he's energy will be led to that. The rest are various herbs to increase your own energy supply and stop your body from ending the transfer. It can be quite scary for your body."

Sufficiently full, she bandaged his arm, pausing over the injury to send her healing energies into the wound. "All done."

"Do all couples have to go through this?"

She shook her head. "No, mainly because the act of sex and the love it takes to create a child inside a man sort of jumbles your energies. The one is already part of the other and visa versa. That, and I think the body knows whose baby it is." She shrugged. "But I'm not a pregnant man so it's all conjecture."

"Well, that's heartwarming at least," he said, gathering Wolfram up in his arms. The arm lulled from his grasp and he frowned.

Gisela tucked the arm back in. "I'll bring the potion later tonight. Don't go to sleep before having it. It doesn't last long and I don't want to have to cut him again."

He made good time to his room and didn't catch sight of the high ups or any of his advisors. He considered this a victory, mostly because he didn't want to deal with others. He caught a maid passing him, who'd quirked an eyebrow at the sleeping man in his hands, and had her fetch various bathing implements.

Wolfram stank of mostly sweat with a bit of urine. That figured as he hadn't been able to wash himself for the past while but that didn't mean he was going to sleep next to him smelling like that.

Yuuri was fairly humming when he set Wolfram down on the bed and the maid knocked, taking only a moments pause before entering. The initial maid, what was her name? He could never remember, she was new to the castle staff. Well, regardless, she had brought along help in the form of another maid. The second maid set down two metal pails of water near the fire. The first set several towels, wash clothes, floral soap, and various other tubes of other essentials he couldn't quite define down on the bed.

He nodded to give them leave. And they did, but not without a sly glance. He sighed. The matter had already been given over to rumor mills and there wasn't anything he could do about it.

He laid one of the towels out on the bed before positioning Wolfram on top of it. He straightened after this, his face ablaze. This felt so naughty and he knew he'd be killed by someone in Wolfram's family for it, if not Wolfram himself. He couldn't help himself, though. It was for his own good. Cleanliness is next to Godliness. Isn't that what they say?

He was humming as he leaned over him and started unbuttoning his shirt. It took a small miracle to get the shirt off those flaying limbs. He supposed it made him feel better to know that in some things Wolfram was the same. Time hadn't touched that part of him.

He held up the arm that was bandaged. Heat radiated from the wound. It was only slight and someone who wasn't looking for it might not notice it. He put a hand over the injury and used as much energy as he could to heal it. He held it over it until the heat gradually ended and the surrounding energies felt smooth and unharmed. He took the bandage off. Not a mark. He smiled and let the arm fall back in place.

The pants were a bit more tricky for him. He pulled the string knot free and let it fall from his fingers. His heart thudded in his chest and there seemed nothing he could do about it. "Why did you leave?" he whispered, his fingers feeling the folded rivulets of his waist band. He pulled on them to straighten them out. Now the pants hung loose around Wolfram's waist.

He thought back to that day Wolfram left. It started so perfectly. Wolfram hadn't left early and that had meant the world to him. Looking back on it, it all seemed so stupid. He'd known, for as long as they'd been sleeping in the same room, that Wolfram didn't sleep past five or six in the morning.

It seemed like that small bit of time, when Wolfram openly admired him while he dressed in the morning, was the most precious and intimate time they spent together. He'd cursed himself over and over back then. He had this unnatural fear of sex with Wolfram. He feared doing just about everything with Wolfram. Some part of him thought the blonde would laugh and reject him. He'd made enough allusions to how open, sexually, the people of Shin Makoku were. With looks like his, why would he settle for someone who knew nothing? Why would anyone?

It was that morning, though, when he'd been utterly determined to make this marriage work. He planned to have a long sit down with his wife and explain to him that he had been simply too terrified to start anything sexual in nature with him. He'd had the speech all planned out, in fact. He'd even planned to visit Earth and hit the book stores for any kind of Idiots Guide.

And then they'd been divorced, that same night, and Wolfram was whisked away to the ends of the world. More than once he'd been on the edges of wanting to give chase. But... But... He couldn't. The way the soldier looked at him was so sweet and loving. He seemed to radiate joy by just being near Wolfram. Didn't Wolfram deserve that? Someone who could give him everything he wanted? He couldn't break that up.

Now he was in Shin Makoku, laying asleep on his bed. He'd come full circle now, peeling off his ex's clothes. It seemed to be the most unlikely turn of events. Was this hope? Could this have been hope?

Wolfram made an annoyed snort that came out as a soft 'chew' sound and scratched his stomach. Yuuri laughed and slowly slide the pants down him until they were off. He let them fall into a heap next to the bed.

'Hm,' he thought, fingering the black ties that held the equally black, tiny triangle of what passed for underwear in this world. The thing hardly covered Wolfram's sex. Curling dark blonde hairs pokes out from around the underwear and his penis had gotten free of the constraints, laying asleep on the side of his thigh. Devilishly, he pulled the knots loose and slide them away as well, discarding them on top of the pants.

He stood there, staring down at the fascinating shape, not daring to touch him there. He was glorious, the whole of him. There on his naval were two faint smiling scars, of which Yuuri figured were from the births. There were just barely visible against the pale of his stomach. It amazed him that he wasn't showing his pregnancy. He wasn't /that/ far along, but Wolfram was so tiny. He would've thought one could see a pea in his stomach, should he swallow one.

He shook himself out of his reverie and gathering the bathing supplies. First the front, he thought. Then he'd try the difficult task of turning him and dressing was last. He found that last idea to be a bit of a bummer.

Yuuri choose to bypass the sponge in favor of the wash cloth. In slow, deliberate strokes, he cleaned the arms and arm pits first. The chest was neck, which he did with equal slowness. He let the wash cloth fall into the warm water then and trailed one figure across the scar. He couldn't help himself. He found it so beautiful.

When you come to a world such as this, you find out one thing about warriors: they're bodies are riddled full of scars. It's the nature of the sport. Men, such as Wolfram, are considered oddities if they don't have many scars on them. He'd always found this ridiculous at first. However, as time went on and he became as marked and scarred as the rest of them, he saw Wolfram in a new, curious light.

Not like the men who made no attempt to cover their distain for the pretty boy (for surely he could be no great warrior if he was unmarked.) Wolfram had fought along side him for the first year and taught young men sword fighting and the art of magic up until they were married. He'd always wondered if Wolfram had some kind of invisible protector that kept such violence from being recorded on his beautiful skin.

It was fitting, somehow then, that these scars had remained, however faint they may have become. He couldn't stop himself from stooping and kissed them (for the two were very close together, as if the doctor thought to mask the second in the first's wake but couldn't quite trace the line) just below his belly button.

He smelled like the soap. He smelled like rose and sandalwood. The smell was so heady and wonderful. He always loved this soap. It made him almost intoxicated. He pressed his cheek against the smooth belly.

He lifted his head to gage Wolfram's face. He was still sleeping. He should've expected it. His eyes dropped to his chest and those perky, pink nipples. He brushed his finger tips over one nipple and it hardened. 'Very responsive,' he thought with a smile. Without thinking, he lowered his head to kiss the nipple. He wasn't quite sure what got into him.

The soap scent seemed to rise from his body and without thinking, he opened his mouth to suck the little nub. It seemed to harden more under his caress.

Wolfram groaned and Yuuri's shot up, heart trying to claw its way out of his chest. He'd really fucked up this time, thought his frantic mind. He'd really --

But no, Wolfram wasn't awake. His brows were knitted together and he was crying. He moved away from him, trying to ball up on his side.

Yuuri laid down next to him, gathering his up and kissing his head. "Shh," he whispered, his cheek pressed against the side of Wolfram's face. "You're okay. I won't let anything happen to you." This seemed the most natural thing to him.

It took some time up soon Wolfram relaxed once more in his arms. Yuuri decided to hurry and finish the task. He made quick work of the exposed back and butt. The legs were a bit more work, but quickly dispatched. Afterward, he wiped Wolfram down with a fluffy towel and edged the towel out from underneath him.

He gathered them all up and set them outside his door. He was sure the maids would pick them up when they saw them but now he had to figure what to dress him in. Yuuri sighed. There was always his pajama's, but that didn't settle right with him. They covered everything. And there was no pink nightie, as much as it pained him.

He rummaged through his closet and came up with a very long button up shirt. He examined it, smiling. It was perfect. How could anyone call him a letch if dressed him in this? It appeared to be so thoughtful and modest. It would probably go to his knees.

But, you see, the blessing about such things is that buttons have a way with coming undone and a shirt, no matter how long, always tend to wind its way up the body. With the way Wolfram tosses and turns, the shirt will be up to his arm pits by morning for sure. It was perfect. He couldn't possibly be blamed for it.

He'd just finished wrestling the shirt on when he heard the knock. He paused by the bed, admiring the work. It did look good on Wolfram. Then again, anything looked good on him.

He bounded to the door and swung it open, all smiles. "Gisela," he said.

She greeted him with a smile of her own and raised brows. "I bought the potion." She held out a glass with a cloth over the top. She took the cloth off before handing it to him. "Let me warn you: it's nasty."

Indeed it was. Yuuri wondered if he'd throw it up. He pushed the back of one hand against his hand as he gave the glass back. Gisela was studying him. He blinked his eyes hard at her. Was it his imagination or was there really big, black fuzzy monsters floating in front of his eyes?

"One other thing," she put a hand on his arm to steady him. "You might get... impressions, psychic impressions of what Wolfram wants. It's the nature of the stuff." She patted the arm and pushed him into the room. "Get some rest. I'll get someone over here to clean this up."

He bid her a good night and hobbled to the bed. It was amazing that he managed to even climb up on top of it and even more so that he managed cover them both with the blankets before he passed out.

--

Wolfram slept hard and long and only dreamed once. The dream was enough to make his body break out in sweat, panting and moaning with need. The only thing was that the dream normal for him. It wasn't scary or sexual or anything other than sad.

He'd been on the beach with his head tilted back to watch the stars. He'd done this so much that he'd started making up stupid names for the stars. He knew next to nothing about the stars and the moon, yet he found them to be the greatest comfort for when Rex was out on his trips, which had come more often lately.

It was only then when he allowed himself to cry over his fate. He had to be strong for his children and for the rest of the people at the compound. Living on the island was hard. People didn't live long and children died more often then he'd ever seen before. It had harsh, unpredictable weather and the ground was very hard to cultivate. More than once it had snowed in June, killing what little crops people managed to grow and much needed live stock.

He loved the wild beauty of the land but it wasn't worth it to him anymore. Maybe when Rex had been around more. Maybe when he hadn't started accusing Wolfram of still loving the King just because he wasn't getting pregnant. But, quite frankly, he didn't want to raise another child in this scary world he'd found himself in.

That's where he found himself again in his dream. He was crying as he studied the cold objects as the floated about him. Alone, afraid for his children and longing for his absent husband. He heard foot steps behind him and turned. Someone was there, regarding him. Someone familiar but he couldn't get a good look at his face.

The man took a step forward and folded him up in his arms, and pressed a kiss against his forehead. "It's okay," came the soft cooing and he knew it was. Everything would be okay.

He tilted his head up to look at this person. Still, he couldn't get a good look at the strangers face. It was only that when he looked up, dark eyes, eyes that seemed to be darker then ebony, stared down at him unblinkly and he knew it wasn't his husband.

He woke then, blinking tired eyes at the darkness. He was somewhere familiar. He'd felt slept in this bed before. The knowledge slammed into like a brick. He half sat up in the bed and stared furiously down at the young King who slept peacefully beside him.

"Bastard."

He shook off the hand that rest on his bare hip and pulled the long shirt down in some attempt of modesty. He slid out of the bed, clenching and unclenching his fists as he stood next to it and watched the King sleep. He was really going to get it for this stunt. In fact, he should wake him up and give it to him now but as he thought of this, his anger fled.

The King was just so damn cute sleeping in the oversized bed and now that he was standing up, the shirt stopped just short of his knees. It truly wasn't so indecent. Like Yuuri would have anything else in mind other then clothing him. He probably was in hysterics over the whole thing. This pregnancy would probably break the young King beyond what anyone could do to fix him and then he'd have another's persons ruined life on his hands.

He breathed out, willing himself to relax. He felt better, at least. The looming, horrible sleepiness that had been slowly prevailing over him seemed only a distant memory.

He looked around. The children definitely weren't in this room, unless he was blind. The King's room had two a joining rooms that made up to royal suite. On one side was the Queen's room and opposite was for the mistress.

He made his way to the Queen's room: no children. He frowned as he crossed over to the room dedicated to whatever mistress the King may have and found his two children sleeping peacefully in the huge bed. They didn't notice when he crept in and planted kisses on their foreheads. He hovered over them, watching them sleep, just to reassure him that they were okay.

He closed the door as he left and, sparing only a slight glance to the King, went out onto the balcony. He smiled when he saw the two person swing. He loved this swing. It was something Yuuri had brought back from Earth. Artisans had made similar ones out of wood, but this one always brought a smile to his lips because Yuuri had brought it back for him.

It creaked when he sat down into it and swung. The stars were out and it wasn't nearly as late as he thought it was. The lights from the castle and city made the more fainter stars invisible. For some reason, they didn't seem like the heartless orbs of light they had before.

"Wolf?" called a groggy voice. "Wolf?"

Wolfram didn't answer but trained his eyes on the door. A tired Yuuri hobbled out and walked over to him, covering a huge yawn with his hand. He sat down next to him.

"Why're you up?" he asked, leaning his head down against his shoulder. His eyes were closed and he was breathing deeply, as if asleep.

The gesture, so slight but so intimate, made him blush head to foot. He bunched his fists on top of his knees. "Yuuri," he groused, shaking the King off his shoulder.

With a sigh, Yuuri sat up and peaked at him through one eyes. "Why are you up?" he asked again. "It seemed like you couldn't get enough of sleep before." Another yawn and stretch, but Wolfram was aware that the King was indeed awake, despite what he thought.

"I don't know. I feel good," he said honestly, then yawned. "Maybe a little tired."

Yuuri laughed and stood. "Then let's go to bed," he said, offering his hand.

Wolfram stared at him. Did Yuuri think he was stupid? "What do you want?" he asked suddenly. At the confused look, he added: "Oh, come on. I know you hated me. You've always hated me. You couldn't stand to be in my presence and now, quite suddenly, you want to jump into my bed? Now you're willing to dedicate most of your time to me? Don't make me laugh! I'm not that stupid!"

Yuuri sat down next to him, looking like a wounded puppy. Wolfram would not be moved, damn it! He wouldn't! He refused to allow the King to have any influence over him.

"I don't want anything." They swung in silence, Yuuri fidgeting next to him. He stood up and turned to face him. "Okay. You're right. I do want something." He smiled and pulled Wolfram up, ignoring the growl of annoyance. "For all this sacrificing of mine, I want to name the baby."

"What?" he screeched. "Over my dead --"

"As you implied --" God, Wolfram hated that smug smile. How can anyone's smile be so radiant and joyful? How can anyone make him feel this warm inside by just a simple smile? "-- you're in my debt. It's the least you can do."

Then they arrived at the bed. Wolfram hadn't even realized he was walking. Yuuri always had this affect on him. He'd have to find some way to put distance between them. He was ready to declare right then and there that he was going to sleep with his children when another huge yawn over took him.

Yuuri pushed him onto the bed, turning down the covers so it was easy for him to crawl under. "We can argue in the morning," he said, throwing an arm around his waist and pulling the blonde close. When he started to fidget, Yuuri's grip became like steel. "It's better this way. You get more of my energy this way."

Frankly, he was too tired to fight. He'd tackle Yuuri in the morning. Another yawn overtook him and soon he was sleeping, this time dreamless but much a more satisfying sleep then he'd had in a very long time.

TBC

I meant to add more but these two chapters seemed to go on forever. Sorry about the wait. There might be another one shot before the next chapter is out. I'm bribing my muse: let me finish one chapter before I'll work on a new one shot. I know. I know. I'm terribly undisciplined. :D


	4. Chapter 3

The New Old Times

author: FurryGreen

rating: Teen Adult-ish (if I decide to write the sex scenes.)

disclaimer: I don't own Kyou Kara Maoh. There's that. I always give a blanket warning that most, if not all, of my characters are OOC. Don't say I didn't warn you. And, yes yes, I know my writing has all the gusto of a fifth grader. I apologize for this story being murky. What can I say? I'm just a hack. '' The title came from the song, with the same name, by The Yoko Casionos.

Special Note: I had trouble uploading this on so if something appears funky (like big chunks of text missing or whatnot, let me know and I'll try to fix it.) 

Chapter 3

Yuuri set down two more boxes of mishmash and brushed his hands off. "This is the last of the stuff," he said in a self-satisfied voice. "The maids are cleaning your clothes."

Wolfram nodded, staring blankly at everything he owned. It really wasn't much of anything. He sighed then. "And the girls?" He peeked up at the King, who smiled down at him.

"We're done in there as well." A paused as he regarded the open door, perhaps wondering if he should go and supervise, but he shook it off. "Do you need help?" He didn't wait for an answer but plopped himself down next to Wolfram, brushing himself up against him for several seconds longer than necessary and forcing Wolfram to move aside. He was rewarded with a rueful grin on that account.

Wolfram's head was bent over a box, nearly empty now, as he removed the contents one by one and placed them in a drawer to his new nightstand. The nightstand was a new addition to this room, like himself, and he felt as resentful for its presences here as his own. In all the years of them living together, he'd wanted, no needed, to have one. He'd argued it with Yuuri until he was blue in the face.

But the King, on advise from his advisors, thought it better than to allow Wolfram move into the room officially.

With a grim face, he finished putting away the things in the box and moved onto the next one.

Wolfram's hands stilled when he picked up the old, beat-up hair brush Rex had fashioned for him. It looked much, much worse then it had the day he received it. It was meant to be an apology, a replacement for the beautiful silver brush Yuuri had give to him for his birthday years ago.

He'd hated the moment his hands touched it yet treasured it. It was the first time someone actually took the time to make something for him.

"What happened to the other one?"

Wolfram set the brush down and looked at the box. It had a bunch of things he'd left behind. He reached inside to pick up a small figurine of a dancer, a gift from his mother when he'd still been young. He'd forgotten about it.

"Wolfram?"

He sighed and set the figurine aside. "My Mother in Law took it. She took it on the day we arrived at the castle." He scratched his head. "She took anything of value, except my clothes. Which was fortunate because I had sown my jewels into the hems of my clothing in fear of bandits before we left."

Yuuri's brow furrowed. "Why?"

He shrugged. "She said it was payment for the island. Said we'd thank her for being harder on us. But I think she was punishing him. She really hated me. I could never do anything right. She always resented me because I never had any sons." He laughed and shifted, picking the brush up again. "Men are everything in that country. Women aren't worth as much. It's very frowned on for a foreign man to settle in their land. Women are okay because they can bear male children. I was unwelcome from the beginning. More so when the two came out girls."

"I'll get you a new one," he announced, pulling the ugly thing away from Wolfram.

He snatched it back with more force that he meant. "No!"

Yuuri shifted and looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry."

God, did he always have to give him the hurt puppy eyes? Wolfram didn't know how much he could take of it. "I'm tired," he announced. "I'll finish putting this away tomorrow." He saw the line Yuuri's mouth formed. He knew the young King hated putting things off 'until later' but he didn't say anything about it.

--

Yuuri woke with his arms full of Wolfram. The blonde had somehow molded into his side like a Siamese twin and seemed content, completely unaware, of what this closeness did to his body. He'd never been so aroused in his life. If you put together all the women he'd slept with, it wouldn't even equal a tenth of what he felt now.

Of course, his rational mind said, most of this is probably Wolfram's need. He could feel that as well, just as he knew the blonde was hungry. This knowledge was part of some faraway information that, when Wolfram inched even closer, slipped away completely.

His first desire, and thus act, was to run his hand through Wolfram's thick hair. It was something he'd never done before, not during the long years of their marriage or before, but he'd always always wanted to. Maybe more than anything else.

He was justly rewarded. Wolfram moaned softly, his desire spiking in Yuuri's mind, and rubbed his face against his chest. He needed no other approval than that.

The next time he wove his fingers through Wolfram's hair, he tilted his head back and stared down at the beautiful face. He realized right then that he'd never kissed Wolfram. Not once. Not even on their wedding day. He ran two fingertips across the full bottom lip, wondering, just briefly, what it would be like to kiss him.

Yuuri was going to prove to himself how wonderful the kiss was. He was just a whisper away when Wolfram's hands balled in his clothes and he wrenched himself away.

"What?" Yuuri breathed.

Wolfram was sitting up and almost out of the bed when he said that. He turned to Yuuri. "Don't you dare touch me again!"

Yuuri sat up. "What's wrong?" He gave an embarrassed laugh. "What did I do wrong? I felt your need."

Wolfram slid off the bed and turned slowly. "I don't 'want' you," he sneered. "I want my husband. I want you to leave me the Hell alone." With that, he turned and stalked to the Queen's chamber and slammed the door behind him.

--

Yuuri recognized when he was in the proverbial doghouse and he didn't need Wolfram's silence or his quick, nasty retorts to everything he said to prove it. He also didn't need the looks of pity his friends and advisors gave him. The fact that the girls seemed torn between acting like he was the scum of the world for their mothers behave or accepting him like they had.

As it fell, Becca seemed to settle on giving him more of a cold shoulder while still peaking up at him with her friendly brown eyes while Sarah, the eldest, seemed to accept him and almost overcompensate for her sisters coldness.

This wasn't all becoming. The "family breakfasts", as Wolfram had asks, became very cold and barren for want of conversation, with all four of them picking haplessly at the food. He could tell this hurt the two girls more than it did himself, as he was used to the rich food, or Wolfram, who's appetite hadn't come back altogether.

He decided to enact small, 'sweet' things in his interaction with Wolfram. The bigger, more over the top things, would be far too easy to spot from afar and he had no doubt that Wolfram would stop him.

The first thing he decided to do was be far more lenient and forgiving when Wolfram snapped at him. This can't truly be attributed to his own genius. Gisela had inspired it. She'd kept back him a bit longer after their daily examine was conducted.

He'd agreed to it but it was hard, even on the onset. After stepping out of the office, he saw the blonde leaning against the opposite was, his hands and fingers clawing at the hem of his shirt. He said nothing more to Yuuri that day and the only attention he paid to him was in the form of glaring daggers.

Wolfram had a lack of appropriate night clothes and that was the next area he decided to tackle. He decided on a couple pairs of silk pajama's, similar to his own. Though he wouldn't mind that cute pink night gown, he neither had it nor did he think Wolfram would wear it.

So he inspected the pink silk pajama's with apple bloom shapes done in lighter pinks all over it. They were cute. Wolfram accept the pajama's, rubbing the material between his thumb and forefinger. He then turned to Yuuri, who was smile (trying not to smile too much) and said:

"You don't want me to wear yours anymore? You could've just said something instead of this."

Yuuri took a breath in and looked away. When he was finally able to talk, he said: "Of course not. You can wear mine as long as you want." And he plastered that smile back on his face. "We'll be a pair."

Wolfram looked away and Yuuri imagined he was frowning. "I'll wear them."

The next idea came in the idea of hand delivered tea. If he remembered correctly, Wolfram always had a steaming cup of tea right before bed each night. Yuuri had long decided Shin Makoku tea couldn't hold a candle to cup of green tea and he'd never participated in that with him, no matter how the blonde tried. It was some kind of blend with the peppermint standing out in the forefront of the taste.

But he hadn't seen a single cup of the tea in Wolfram's possession since he'd gotten back. It would be perfect. He'd be covered in glory for his remembering. There would be no way Wolfram could call him black hearted and a cad. It went on something like this.

The made the tea exactly as he'd seem Wolfram do, right outside their door. He even took a small sip to ensure its minty goodness. With all that set, he placed the single cup on a small tray and entered the room.

Wolfram, who was propped up on pillow in the bed, turned to him and almost smiled but seemed to catch himself. Maybe he was getting through? He was wearing the pajama's though. Yuuri wasn't sure if he looked best in his own pajama's or these new ones. "What's that?" he asked, as his eyes slid to the cup.

"Your tea," Yuuri announced, holding out the cup with a smile.

Wolfram took the offered cup and brought it to his lips. He took a long whiff of the drink and frowned, turning his eyes to Yuuri. "It's my tea," he said, as if that explained why he was frowning. It was obviously a simple thing, said that frown. What the Hell was wrong with Yuuri? That dumbass!

Yuuri's face grew hot and he fidgeted. "What? Of course."

"I can't drink this. There's herbs that'll hurt the baby! What are you trying to do to me?"

Like a robot, Yuuri took the tea back. "You're right," he said crossing the room and throwing open the balcony doors. "I just can't do anything right." He slammed the doors behind him loud enough to rattle the glass and stalked over to the railing.

He dumped the tea over the edge in a satisfied triumph but immediately felt bad. He looked worriedly over the edge but thankfully no one was there.

He stayed outside, sitting on the cool stone floor and breathing in the night air. Maybe it would be best if he didn't try anymore. It just seemed to make matters worse.

Wolfram was laying in bed when he came back and the room was dark. Yuuri had purposely waited until Wolfram had put out the candles to come back in. He couldn't take any more abuse today. His quota was already full.

As he covered himself with the covers, Wolfram turned to him. "Yuuri... I..." It was the first time in a long time Wolfram had called him by his name. "I'm sorry for snapping. That was rude." And then he turned his back to him and fell asleep.

Yuuri stayed awake a bit after that, not really thinking but unable to sleep.

--

More and more, Yuuri woke up aroused, his blood singing and just the mere heat of Wolfram's closeness made his fingers burn with a horrible wanting to touch that skin. This was, however disconcerting, easy to reign in for the fact that this desire couldn't be coming from himself.

He felt, no tasted, Wolfram's desire at a greater length each day, each hour really. Since they spent most of their time together and the blonde probably needed the extra energy, this was no stretch of the imagination to understand.

Wolfram, however, made sure to keep the farthest distance from him that he could and that galled him more than anything. If he ignored the sudden crying fits, the way Wolfram tried to keep his children away from him (what was he supposed to be doing with them that was so horrible anyway?) and the snidy comments that came whenever Yuuri addressed him personally, it was the fact that Wolfram seemed scared of him. If he didn't know better, he'd imagine a ten foot radius between them at all times.

This ridiculous behavior was offset by the feeling -- the knowing within himself that the blood potion had produced within him -- that Wolfram wanted him even greater. Yuuri's arms itched with Wolfram's longing to be held and petted. His lips burned with need to kiss him in the way that he knew, somehow, would give him the most pleasure.

In the few moments of freedom he had from his Shadow (in which, Wolfram would spend bathing and doing whatever else he did -- not that he would be prevailed upon to let Yuuri wash is back, though he tried to convince him more than once), he would seek Gisela out and question her over and over again.

"He's not getting any better," he said, wanting to pull his hair out. Instead, he sat down on a low stool and dropped his head against the cool surface with a self-deprecating sigh.

"He's not getting any worse," she always replied. It was becoming a canned response. He didn't quite blame her. How many times can one describe something before you just give up? She looked up from her records suddenly and asked something new: "Have you two had sex yet?"

Yuuri's head shot up and stared at her in humiliation. He felt his cheeks flame at the suggestion and was even more humiliated that even the word said with any connection to Wolfram sent his pulse raising.

She frowned and looked thoughtful. She opened her mouth, closed it again, and looked lost. When she made no further move to speak, he asked: "What is it?" He paused, knowing what was wrong but he didn't want that to be the truth of the matter. "Do we really have do..."

At that, she stood and walked over to the cabinet. "I don't think it can help," she said with a sad sigh. She grabbed two bottles, set them on the table, and turned to him with a sympathetic smile. "I don't blame you, Heika. I know how he's been avoiding you."

His blush returned. Did everyone know?

But he said nothing more and they fell into a comfortable silence as Gisela gathered the various herbs and oils together. He hadn't the inclination to stand behind her and watch (as her back was to him) so he had no idea what went into the making of the potion, but he didn't really care.

With a satisfied noise, she tightened the lid of a small bottle and handed it to him. "It won't hard the baby. Put a couple drops into his tea or something else with flavor as it has a bit of a taste to it."

He stared down at it, frowned and sniffed it. He could discern no odor and the bottle was of a dark amber glass. It sloshed though and was heavy as if fill with water.

Gisela placed her hand over his. "I know the thought is bad, but it can't be helped. You have two have to have sex, even if he seems fine now. He isn't. If you can't persuade him within the next couple days, then you'll have to use this."

His frown increased and he slipped his hand away from Gisela. What horrible, disgusting business. What was worse as that he didn't know if he could keep himself from using it. Every moment he spent with his Wolfram -- and that term seemed to be cropping up more and more in his thought -- made him realize just how much he needed that kind of affection.

It wasn't just the baby, though how he knew was past him. Some part of him now knew Wolfram to be the kind that needed physical affection each day. A kiss, a pat, or a hug... That was probably the worse part of his separation from his dead husband.

"Please Heika," Gisela's gentle tones cut through his thoughts. "Please consider this. By all means, talk with him about it." A troubled look clouded her face and she fell silent.

"What is it?" he prompted when she didn't say any more.

"Well," she started, stopped, and chewed on his bottom lip. "I don't like flinging accusations without proof. You know how I am." She waited until the King nodded before continuing. "I think -- and mind I have NO way to prove my theory other than conjecture -- that Rexmuld, Wolfram's late husband, used an aid of some sort to get him pregnant."

Yuuri blinked and his brows furrowed in confusion. "I didn't think that was possible..."

"The ingredients are hard to come by but his family is rich enough."

He turned to stare out the window. If this were true, did that mean their divorce had been a farce? Had someone literally kidnapped his Wife? Stolen him under false pretenses? The thought infuriated him. He drew in a steady breath, but didn't turn back. "Why would you think this?"

"Well," she walked to the window so that he could see her back, "it takes stability and happiness for a man to get pregnant. But more than that, the man who gets pregnant has to really really want the baby. The baby is created mostly from his will, if it's brought about naturally. Wolfram told me himself he'd not planned to bring another child into that situation. If Wolfram's will was in conflict, it wouldn't have happened without some kind of forced aid."

"It's not just that," she said with a sigh and a wave of the hand. "He mentioned how unhappy he was there, with Rex being gone. He'd been planning on leaving and a week before he was to leave, he suddenly gets pregnant? Frankly, I find that highly unlikely."

He nodded slowly and remembered that letter he'd gotten a couple weeks ago. He remembered his initial wonder at how the in laws had known about Wolfram being pregnant without himself knowing. It painted a grim picture.

He waited a moment then said: "And what about before? When he first got pregnant? Why didn't this come up then?"

She bit her lip. "I didn't have proof. I thought it might be the case. He was so unhappy but I thought maybe Rex made him happy and there was no real way to say how long they were together." She shrugged and sighed. "Anyway, that doesn't matter now. That's in the past. What matter's is what's happening now.

"He's confused. More so than he'd usually be. Why do you think he took to you so easily with the potion? That only works maybe 20 or 30 percent of the time otherwise and even if they did, an outcome of both mother and child surviving is very low. Yet he took to it more fully and completely then I'd ever seen before. He really needs your support. Your full support." With that, she placed a hand on his shoulder. "Please talk to him. I don't want him to die anymore than you do."

He left the office then and stuffed the bottle into his pocket, unsure exactly what to do. He was determined to talk to him about it, though. And so, he walked through the corridor's in silent determination, smiling at others when they passed but not allowing anyone to waylay him with anything more than a 'hello' or 'good evening'.

--

When Yuuri entered his room, he found Wolfram brushing the hair of his youngest daughter whilst the elder lay on her stomach on their bed. She looked up, a hand curling in her hair, and smiled at him. It was sort of a pained smile. A plea for help. The youngest didn't look up. Neither did Wolfram.

He stood there, unable to move, though he didn't know why. It was a family scene. His family scene and it touched him, but it wasn't awe that held him in place. He let the curiosity pass as he watched Wolfram's graceful movements.

'He's really good with the girls,' he thought, smiling suddenly. He felt guilty that this would surprise him more than anything else.

As if on cue, the youngest looked up and granted him a smile. She'd just lost a tooth and her tongue poke unladylike from the gap. "Uncle Yuuri!" She jumped up, not bothering to warn Wolfram. That gave his blonde the permission to send him a smoldering glare when the hair brush hit him in the forehead.

She threw herself into his arms with a gleeful smile. By far, she was the most affectionate of the two. "How was work? Did you do anything fun?" It was the same question everyday. Mentally he sighed. At least she wasn't asking him if he'd ridden out into the sunset and fought dragons and saved hapless princesses from themselves, though he had a feeling she thought Wolfram was the poor hapless princess he should save.

"No, nothing interesting today," he said, patting her hair. "Why don't you two go to bed? It's getting late..."

As the eldest pulled herself off the bed, Wolfram frowned at him. Uh oh, Yuuri thought. He didn't look particularly happy. More so than usual.

"I wanted to spend some extra time with them," Wolfram said, byway of telling him he didn't appreciate Yuuri sending them off. Ah, that must've been the look of help he'd been sent. "I never get to..."

He arched a brow, to which Wolfram pointedly ignored, and led the girls into the a joining room. Both ran to the huge bed, bickering with themselves as they ran. When they got under the covers, Becca begged Yuuri to tell her about Dragon's.

He'd just gotten to the point in which the evil bandits had run into the village with the egg shell baby, when he felt Wolfram's presence at the door. He looked up, pausing his narrative, to see him leaning against the door frame. His face was passive and his arms folded across his chest. He met his gaze for a brief moment before looking over at the bed, a faint smile enveloping his lips.

'I wish he'd smile at me like that,' he thought suddenly but pushed it away.

When he finished the story, he kissed both foreheads and stood back so that Wolfram could tuck them in. He did so in complete tenderness and followed him back to their room. After closing the door, he sent him a nasty look.

"They'll hear us if we argue," Yuuri stated, crossed his arms over his chest. That was weak, he reflected a moment later, but he really didn't want to fight.

Wolfram nodded and walked into the opposite room, the Queen's room, and motioned for him to follow. When he did, he shut the door behind him and whirled around in anger.

"I don't appreciate you giving commands to my children! I am the one to say when they are ready for bed or not!"

Yuuri crossed his arms and shifted on his feet. "They were obviously tired, Wolfram."

"They're MY children, Heika!"

The muscle above Yuuri's eye twitched. "Why are you acting so concerned about them?" he asked finally, in a cold voice.

This threw Wolfram. "What?"

Yuuri laughed. "Right. Play innocent. You know damn well you've been acting like a selfish bitch since you got here. You don't give a damn about them. You know damn well this pregnancy will kill you if you keep going on as you have." He laughed again, an increasingly bitter sound, and pulled out the little bottle. "Can you believe Gisela actually wanted me to drug you? Just to keep you alive?" He threw the bottle at Wolfram. "Maybe it's better if you stay stubborn and bitter. I have no doubt that I'll be a better parent when you're gone." With that, he turned on his heels and left the room.

Once inside his own room, however, he wanted to bash his head against the wall for being such a fool. He said just about every really horrible and wrong thing together. If he survived the night, it would prove that there was a God.

--

Yuuri felt the bed shift in his half-doze as he waited for Wolfram to come join him. He hadn't bothered to get under the covers, as he'd just flung himself down on the bed, frustrated and angry at himself. He knew it was Wolfram climbing on, nothing else could be such a sweet presence in his mind, and he let himself drift off further.

He was awake in the instance he felt the solid body straddle his own. His eyes flew open, only to find them cupped with Wolfram's warm palms. From the blonde's stomach down, he was pressed -- no, grinding really -- against Yuuri's.

"Yuuri," came the quite, questioning call before Wolfram's hot mouth engulfed him. They kissed for an eternity and more, before he broke the it to breath. "Yuuri," came that quite voice again. It hitched slightly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. Will you forgive me?"

Yuuri's hands fell from around Wolfram's neck. He stared up into those beautiful wet eyes and quirked a smile. "If I..." he broke off, unable to speak. Wolfram drew in a wretched breath, probably thinking his tone meant anger when all it was was the reaction of having everything he'd ever desired sit on top of him. He felt the blonde shift and his hands went to his hips, holding him in place.

"If I say I do, will you kiss me again?"

--

TBC

Thanks the Gods! I didn't think this would ever get written. It was like making rocks bleed. Lordly help me. This story is going a lot longer than I initially meant it. I didn't think it would be above three chapters. No more than 10,000 words, at the very most. This was supposed to be the end of chapter two. Oh well.


	5. Chapter 4

The New Old Times

author: FurryGreen

rating: Teen

disclaimer: I don't own Kyou Kara Maoh. There's that. I always give a blanket warning that most, if not all, of my characters are OOC. Don't say I didn't warn you. And, yes yes, I know my writing has all the gusto of a fifth grader. I apologize for this story being murky. What can I say? I'm just a hack. '' The title came from the song, with the same name, by The Yoko Casionos.

Chapter Four

Yuuri's eyes snapped open as Wolfram rubbed his face against his chest. Wolfram was completely naked, sleeping half on top of him, and his breath feathered across the skin of Yuuri's chest in the most tempting fashion. Arousal coiled through his blood like a snake and it took all his control not to ravish him right now.

He shifted in an attempt to push Wolfram off him just enough so that his calf wouldn't tease his erection as he moved in sleep. Wolfram's arms tightened around him, keeping him in place. Yuuri let out a very slow breath. He refused to touch him, to take... liberties, not matter how tempted he was. He couldn't ruin the perfect night they'd shared with that sort of memory.

He groaned as a flood of images, the events of last night, hit him. It was as if Wolfram was still mewling in his ear, as if his finger tips burned from the softness of his skin, and...

With a great force of will, he pushed the memories away. He couldn't think of them now with Wolfram plastered against him. That one act of love making, albeit a very long one, had brought out such rich and deep emotions that he wasn't sure if he could control him. Even now, the mere memories woke the Demon inside, demanding a taste of this new pleasure, wanting to claim it for himself.

It scared the shit out of him. He'd fought very hard for control of that dark part of himself. He'd intentionally sought it out, a couple years after he became King (when he felt he could deal with.) It had been a painful process to integrate his more primal magical side of himself with his consciousness. He'd always hated losing control (it lowers the general moral when ones King becomes a blood-thirsty Demon on the rampaging.)

Last night was the first time in fifteen or more years since he felt the stirrings of that and he'd almost succumbed to its dark embrace.

Well, at least this morning he was prepared for it's onslaught. It didn't have the boon of surprise on its side.

Wolfram shifted and he found those eyes staring up at him, a swirling of desire in them. A smile curved on his lips and he stretched the length of Yuuri, very aware of what it did to him and of his growing problem.

"I'm sorry, Wolf." His voice seemed alien in the hush of the room. He stroked his hand down the side of Wolfram's face. "I never meant to be blunt yesterday. I was just angry."

Wolfram's smile grew sad as his eyes fluttered down. It stung Yuuri's heart to see him try not to cry. Yuuri pulled his closer and he sighed into his hair. He was a bastard to have said those things and still want to fuck him. It was a wonder that Wolfram wasn't trying to kill him.

"No, you were right," Wolfram said against the skin of his chest. He pushed away and met Yuuri's eyes. "I need to focus on my kids." He pressed a hand against his belly to emphasis.

The meaning wasn't lost on Yuuri. He caught his hand and brought it up to his lips. Was this desire coming from Wolfram's need for energy? Was any of this real? And why did it bother him to think about that? The questions flew away when Wolfram kissed him.

Much later Yuuri stirred and pulled away from were he rested. Wolfram's deep breathing didn't change as he slowly disentangled himself. He paused at the edge of the bed, pushing stray hairs away from that stunning face. He really wanted to say here and sleep longer, but Gunter was probably frantic for need of him and he had some concerns he wanted to set before Gwendel.

With a sigh, he departed for the baths. He could probably fit that and a chat with Wolfram's older brother before he woke and afterwards, he'd use the desk he'd set up in their room for whatever other official business he had to do (so to keep close to Wolfram.)

Yuuri spent no extra time needed in the bath other than to clean himself and get into a change of clothes. It was already noon when he emerged and he was assaulted immediately by Gunter's wailing from afar. He sighed. Sometimes he was too much to handle.

Yuuri dodged Gunter by stepping into a smaller corridor.

"Heika!" came the surprised voice of Gisela.

Yuuri whirled around, red faced. "Good... afternoon," he said, plastering a smile onto his face and hoping she didn't see him as the ridiculous thing he felt himself to be. Silence stretched between them as critical eyes regarded him. "What are you doing here?"

She smiled. "I always walk down this hallway on my way back to the sick room."

"Oh." He fidgeted under her gaze. Was that coy smile because she knew he'd been up all night making love to Wolfram? He was sure she was reading him like a proclamation written in the sky, accented by fireworks. Or maybe it was worse, maybe she thought he could be so cruel to have given Wolfram that potion. Either way, it horrified him. "Well, ah, I've got to go."

She bowed her head in respect and waited for him to pass before she went on her way.

'She was just being respectful,' he told himself. Everyone did that. At first it confused him. He had assumed everyone wanted to talk to him. That had probably been the ego of a fourteen year old talking, but it still unnerved him. It had taken Conrad's gentle explanations to reassure him. That sense of confusion came back to him now and he felt as if the whole castle was whispering about his escapades.

He shook his head to clear it. What was he, a child? Just imagining Wolfram's teasing and his past threats to harm anyone who'd dare make fun of the new King made him smile. He'd missed that, he realized. More than he'd known.

Gwendel was in his office with Conrad when Yuuri knocked. His Godfather answered the door, pulling it open only so far as to get a glimpse of him before he pulled it fully open and allowed him entrance. He bowed his head, smiling. "How are you, Heika?"

Yuuri's brow twitched but he managed to refrain himself. "I'm just fine, Conrad. Yourself?" His eyes shifted to the gloomy form behind the desk and met his dark eyes with similar ones.

"I'm wonderful," he replied, then bowed again. "You must excuse me. I have business to attend to."

Yuuri nodded and watched him leave before turning his attention back to Gwendel. His advisor waved to one of his chairs, which Yuuri took gratefully. "How was your trip back to Blood Pledge?"

Gwendel waved the question off. "What can I do for you, Heika?"

He sighed and scratched his head. Gwendel always had a humbling affect on him. He made a mental note to get over this childish fear of his. "I want you to send someone over to the Islands." Gwendel arched a brow but said nothing. "Gisela mentioned something that worries me," and no, he didn't want to share it with him, "and I got a letter days before Wolfram turned up. I don't feel like it's something we can sit on."

Gwendel eyed him critically and Yuuri wondered if Gisela had shared the same information with him that she told him earlier. It made him blush but he kept his eyes on his advisor. "I want you to send Yozak out there to... check things out."

More uncomfortable eyeing. After what seemed like three lifetimes, Gwendel sighed and sat back in his chair. Realization dawned over Yuuri. "When did you send him?" He paused, his mind running. He hadn't seen Yozak since... since Wolfram had returned. He'd just assumed it was because he'd been busy with Wolfram. His eyes narrowed. "When did you see the letter?"

Gwendel cocked a brow. "Letter?"

"Don't play innocent with me." Still, Gwendel said nothing. He sighed. "Did you find anything out?"

Again, that incredulous look stole over the other man's face. "Nothing so far." And then, as if in an after thought (though Yuuri knew better), he said, "he was sent to gather the remainder of Wolfram's things. Lord Weller said he didn't arrive with much." Something in his tone spoke more of anger for any slight or the appearance of poverty against his brother than the lack of things.

Yuuri nodded. He knew he should get more into a roe with Gwendel. And Conrad, for that matter. It wasn't usual for him to lie about things like this, but for some reason he felt it had more to do with wanting to protect his brother than any want for slight. He supposed he had the luxury of letting the brothers investigate this as they saw fit, for a while anyway.

"Let's go over the rest quickly. I should get back..."

--

Wolfram was awake enough to know when the warmth of Yuuri's arms left him. He felt the quick kiss on his temples and the murmuring of something. He was just too tired to care and hadn't bothered to stop him. He'd been too sleepy.

He moved now, in the luxury of the soft sheets and warm bed. It was so different from what his mind told him should be there and more wonderful than anything he could voice. He hadn't this kind of luxury on the Island. They hadn't anything resembling luxury's distant, four times removed cousin there. It had been easy to ignore something that wasn't there. He'd thought himself a good person but now he realized it was merely the fact that it hadn't been there and not his strong will.

The clock chimed on the half hour and he stirred, pushing the blankets down to get a good look at the clock. He settled back with a sigh. It was only half after noon. He yawned, ready to fall back asleep. That didn't seem so like such a...

His eyes snapped open and he groaned. God, what was he thinking? How could he be so irresponsible? Yuuri had been right about that, though he'd never again admit it openly to the King. He pushed back the covers and stepped out, shivering. A wave of dizziness hit him. He was starving.

He pushed that aside. God only knew what kind of trouble his daughters had gotten into. They seemed worse magnates for trouble than Yuuri was when he first arrived, if that was possible. He pulled the cord to summon a servant and looked about him for something to wear. He found his robe crumpled on the floor near his feet.

He walked first to the kid's bedroom but, as expected, it was empty and discheveled. He sighed at this. Even in a room as stately and huge as this, they didn't seem to care about taking care of their stuff. It was disheartening.

There was a knock at the bedroom door. Wolfram turned, closing the bedroom door behind him, and walked to the opposite door. He pulled in open an inch. After the common courtesies, he asked: "Do you know where my children are?" He felt the urge to tell her he'd been sleeping, that he was really sick and that's the reason he was such a horrible parent, but pushed the thought away.

She looked confused for a minute before she answered. "With their teacher, of course," she said and smiled.

Wolfram nodded, mind racing. "And where would that be?"

He bid his farewells after she gave him the directions, closing the door quietly behind him.

Wolfram dressed with some haste but paused before the door to run his fingers through his messy hair. No doubt he had bed head. He didn't have the heart to find a mirror to confirm his fear nor did he want to take the time to get his hair wet and brush it out. A smile tugged his lips as he left the room. Ten years ago, he would never have left the room so unkempt. Was this the affect children had on him?

It gave him a new respect for his mother.

He found the make shift classroom easily enough and without having to take any sitting breaks. The layout of the castle came back to him without any need for directions. This, perhaps, surprised him more than his not needing any breaks (as it had seemed before that he couldn't wake ten feet without need for one.) He had thought he'd get lost. Some nights on the Island had been so lonely, he'd tried to conjure a picture of the capital but had failed after the first couple years.

"Papa!" Sarah exclaimed as she hugged him. She looked up at him with pleading eyes. 'Please take me out of this Hell,' those eyes begged. Becca hugged him with the same enthusiasm when Sarah stood back.

He kissed both of their cheeks and knelt in front of them, gathering them into his arms and pressing more kisses against their cheeks and foreheads. "I'm sorry for not being up this morning," he said, pulling away at last.

It was Becca who shook her head with a stubborn frown set on her face. "You need to sleep in. We understand." She looked to Sarah, who hurried to agree with him.

Wolfram laughed and straightened. "I'm sorry for disrupting you," he said, turning to the unfamiliar teacher. He held out his hand to shake that of the teacher. "Well, I should be going..."

He left before they could argue anymore. He hadn't the heart to argue with them. As it was, his heart was still trying to race away from him. He sighed and found himself outside. He found a nice bench to rest.

Wolfram sat in the sunshine, his face turned up towards the sky. There was plenty of sunshine to be had, but it didn't do much to warm the air. He missed the sound of the surf crashing on the beach and the salty sea air. He really should go find Yuuri. His body called out to him. They'd been parted far too long and it would be bad for the baby. That was why his palms itched to touch him. No other reason.

He put a hand on his flat stomach, the familiar flutter of fear sparking in him for his baby. He was just too tired to even think of all the places Yuuri could be. He'd probably be in his office, but had he changed offices? Somewhere in the depth of his memories he remembered the complaints the King used to voice about his old office; it was too cramped, there was no windows, and so forth.

He closed his eyes and sagged against the bench.

"There you are."

Wolfram blinked his eyes open and stared up. Yuuri was blocking the sun and so looked like a black form in front of him. He still recognized him, would've even if he hadn't said anything. The corners of his mouths quirked skyward. "You were looking for me?"

"Marie told me you'd asked about the children." Yuuri sat down next to him, putting his arm around his shoulders and pulling him closer to his warmth. "Did you find them?"

Wolfram ignored him as he peaked suspiciously at him through his lashes. "Who's Marie?" Suspicion coiled through him, quite to his surprise.

"The maid you called for." He cocked a brow at him. "Who did you think? One of my various mistresses?" He threw back his head and laughed at the looked Wolfram gave him. "I hear all the rumors. I've even started some, just to see how far they go."

Wolfram hit him playfully before settling away from him. "Where did you go?"

Yuuri stared at him for several moments. In this quite moment, Wolfram could tell he was making up his mind not to tell him the whole truth. It angered him. "I needed to get the various news and make sure I get whatever I need sent to our room." He grabbed Wolfram's hand, turning it palm side up and examining it.

Wolfram's cheeks flushed at the word 'our'. He stood, followed immediately by Yuuri, who slipped an arm around him for support. It annoyed him that this gesture warmed his heart. 'Rex never thought to so this,' came the thought unbidden. He pushed it out of his mind as fast as it came up. Rex was a good man, rest his soul.

"You're tired," Yuuri murmured against his hair. "We should go back and eat. I'm starved myself." They made it inside before Yuuri stopped him short. "I almost forgot. Gwendel arrived the other day. I imagine you might want to see him? Should we eat in the main dining room for dinner?"

Wolfram's eyes went eyes and he vigorously shook his head. All he needed was an evening of Gwendel's accusatory glares to make his world a better place. He leaned against the King, as if suddenly ill, and said, "I'm not feeling too well today."

Yuuri pulled them along again and pondered this. Whatever he believed about that lie, he didn't say. He nodded his head. "It is kind of chilly out."

Wolfram batted at him. "Kind of?"

Yuuri laughed, feeling so very happy, as they walked down the hallway.

A sudden wave of regret settled over Wolfram at the sound of that laughter. It had always been his favorite sound and whenever Yuuri had laughed, he truly treasured it beyond everything else. To think Yuuri was holding his hand, supporting him and laughing because of him, made his heart wrench.

He truly was living on borrowed time. Yuuri had never been anything close to this previously. There was no reason for him to do a sudden 360, other than some external force as a motivation and he was certain he knew what that motivation was. His King was noble enough to sacrifice himself in order to keep him alive. The sentiment wouldn't last.

The problem was believing it would. It was hard to remember that Yuuri wouldn't always love him when he looked at him with those smoldering eyes. He could still feel the burn of his lips against his neck, tasting and nibbling, as they trailed down. Unconsciously, he raised a hand to trail down that burning path. He had to be honest with himself. His silly crush had never quite disappeared and this wasn't helping.

Besides that, it was disrespectful to Rex. He had been... was his hero. He saved him from this dreary life with a man who didn't like him to one of being loved. So what if life had been hard, his in-laws hated him, and he'd been cut off from everyone he knew. Rex had loved him. His children were proof enough of that.

Still, it wouldn't be wise to be rude to his King. Maybe, after the baby was born, Yuuri would look kindly upon him and set him up somewhere comfortable to raise the children. He truly didn't want to depend on his brothers for his livelihood and he had no money or position himself, besides ex-Prince and Queen. Nor would he go back to soldiering, the only real work experience he'd ever had. He didn't want his children raised by strangers, as he'd been.

He sighed and realized they'd stop in front of Yuuri's room. He looked up and found the King staring down at him with a quizzical look on his face. He tilted his head as he asked: "What?"

"You just look..." Yuuri trailed off as he opened the door. His hand found the small of Wolfram's back as he pushed his Ex into the room.

Wolfram turned and watched him. He was handsome and he was incredibly attracted to him. Even now, weak with hunger, he could through that aside for a little romp. He sighed again. The only want he was going to get through this was to meet it head on. He had to come to grips with this... attraction.

"I'm sorry," he said suddenly, drawing a more puzzled look from Yuuri, so he continued. "I was a bitch -- no, don't try to argue with me. I know I was. But," and he stepped close enough to watch his Adams apple bob as he swallowed, "I promise I won't be... like that anymore. For the sake of my children, I can do that much."

Yuuri's hands gripped his upper arms, kneading gently, and he found himself lost in the dark of Yuuri's eyes. Why the Hell not enjoy this? If it was going to be over when the baby came, who the Hell cared?

--

(three months later)

Wolfram held up the tiny yellow jumper and turned it around, not bothering to hold back his frown. "Flame resistant?" he muttered again, what must have been his tenth time.

Yuuri kept his head low and over his paper work, only peaking up occasionally. The trip to Earth had been worth it, all things considering. He'd carved out enough free time for a days leisure then sped up the time in Earth so that a week had gone by in the span of 24 hours here. He'd had Wolfram to himself for much of that time, not even bothering to leave his hotel room three of the seven days.

They'd gone for baby clothes and accessories. Apparently, though men could give birth, they couldn't feed their children in the way women could (not to the same extent, that is. It seemed almost always necessary to find a nurse mother to supplement the small amount men could produce) and Wolfram seemed wildly against that. He'd mentioned some wild sounding mush the people of the island had taught him as being what his child needed, but after much persuasion of the soft and gentle sort, he'd come around to Yuuri's way of thinking.

Wolfram had seemed pleased by the Earth inventions and had picked out most of the clothing but it seemed to take on a new, suspicious light once back in Shin Makoku. Yuuri was wildly hoping that was the pregnancy speaking.

"You know, in Shin Makoku, you have to --"

"Boil a fire cat's hide for three weeks and skim the fat from the pot, then mix it with seven different -- and very poisonous -- herbs, then leave it out in the Dung Bloom swamps for three days and night worth of exposure to the elements to make something fire retardant," Yuuri finished, having heard the same speech seventeen times. "It's very poisonous."

Wolfram fixed his eyes on him but Yuuri only gave him a wan smile. This wasn't at all the response he was looking for. The blond folded the tiny thing in his lap almost reverently, smiling as he bowed his head. When he stood, all traces of the smile was gone and he crossed the room. He set the garment on top of the pile, resting his hand there before crossing the room back to his seat. He moved very well for a man who was five months along.

"I wish you'd trust me, trust the world I grew up in." He sighed and set the pen back in its holder, taking a moment to stretch. "I mean, I survived."

Wolfram gnawed on his bottom lip. "It's not that I don't trust you. It's that..."

"You don't trust me."

He turned away, refusing to meet Yuuri's steady stare. "It's not that. It's just... don't you think it's a little, ah, what if there is a fire because the clothes are 'fire resistant'? So what if the clothes survive? I don't want the clothes to survive, Yuuri! I want..." He trailed off at the bemused look in Yuuri's eyes. "I'm not making sense, am I?"

Yuuri shook his head. He was about to tell Wolfram how wonderful he looked in that shirt, how wonderful it molded to his pregnant belly, and how it seemed to bring out all of his best physical qualities. He was then going to wax on poetically about how much he loved Wolfram, sparing no words to tell him how wonderful these past three months of their continually intimacy have been, with maybe a finale of making wild, passionate sex on top of his desk (oh, risqué! his mind urged on.)

On second thought, maybe just the sex might be enough. Pondered on this made him groan. What was he thinking? Wolfram was five months along? It wasn't as if he could just toss him on the desk -- though now that he thought of it, it was tempting.

He banged his head on the desk, a moan of pain escaping.

"What happened?" came Wolfram.

He brought a hand up to rub his forehead and came away with a smear of ink. He looked down at the mess he'd made of the forestry bill. Gwendel would give him a hard time over this, he thought with a sigh.

He hardly noticed that Wolfram had come around the desk until he felt cool fingers on his chin gently guiding his head to face him. His frown was delicate as he said, "You've made a mess," but not without an touch of humor.

Yuuri wrapped his arms around his middle and pulled him closer, wrenched his head away to kiss the bulge of his belly.

Wolfram licked his fingers and rubbed them on Yuuri's forehead, finally wiping the remaining ink away on his sleeve. "That's not a very Kingly look, you know."

Yuuri was just about ready to pick Wolfram up and toss him on the bed (the bed, at least, is soft) when a knock at their door drew him out of his thoughts. It was Wolfram who answered the door.

"My Lord," Gerald, a guard, gave greeting to Wolfram than looked within. Catching sight of Yuuri, he said the same. "I bring news from Lord Weller. Lady von Spitzweg has arrived. Lord Weller thought your Highness might like to go down and greet her as she arrives."

Yuuri nodded his thanks for his trouble and, after inquiring about the messengers children, bid him farewell. He pushed the door shut. It seemed as if Wolfram's back had become an iron rod, welding him in a stiff, upright position. He even looked a bit... pale.

Confused, Yuuri turned Wolfram to face him. "What problem do you have with your family? You seem terrified by them..." He said this as gently as he could, but fire still leapt into Wolfram's eyes at the 'accusation'.

"I am not afraid of my own Mother," he stated, lifting his chin and looking away.

Yuuri gently guided his chin back until he faced him. "You've hardly said ten words at one time to Gwendel since he's returned. And Conrad..." Well, he supposed Wolfram always treated Conrad with that same distant distaste. It was just strange for him to see it directed at the rest of his family.

Wolfram's features softened for a moment and he opened his mouth as if to speak, but he snapped it closed a second later. The iron rod was put back into place and he stepped away from Yuuri. "I think we should go greet my Mother, don't you?" With that, he turned and left the room, not bothering to wait for Yuuri.

Yuuri sighed after him and wracked his hand through his hair. Somehow this didn't bode well. He wasn't sure why, other than all the normal reasons one might be afraid of her. He filed this in the back of his mind for review later. He would get to the bottom of his, one way or another. He didn't like Wolfram hiding secrets from him. He'd found that out recently, maybe too late, but he was still determined to root out any perceivable problems and get to the sources so that Wolfram didn't run away with the next handsome man who caught his eye.

--

TBC

I didn't give up. I was just doing Nano (a trainwreck of a KKM fic too) and now I'm back to this. Sorry for the long wait. It wasn't intentional but then again, it was.

Some kind soul offered to beta for me, but when I tried to email that hero, the email bounced. So, ah, I'm sorry. I did try. Don't get mad at me. :)


End file.
